Means of assembling the elements of a sectional gun-barrel.



E. SCHNEIDER.

- MEANS OF ASSEMBLING THE ELEMENTS OF A SECTIONAL GUN BARREL..-

APPLICATION FIL'ED FEB. 11. 191 6.

' 1 SHEETS-.-

1 ,234,57 5. Patented, July 24, 1917.

T SHEET 1.

E. SCHNEIDER. MEANS OF ASSEMBLLN'G THE ELEMENTS OF A SECTIONAL GUN BARREL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11. I916- Patented July 24, 1917.

7SHEETSSHEET 2.

W Y J E. SCHNEIDER. MEANS OF-ASSEMBLINIG THE ELEMENTS or A SECTIONAL'GUN BARREL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I! 1916.

1,234,575. Patnted July 24,1917;

7 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Vl/(g/II/Il/IIIIIII/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII .i 4m

. E. SCHNEIDER.

MEANS OF ASSEMBLING THE ELEMENTS OF A SECTIONA'L GUN BARREL.

/ APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11. I916.

1 7 SHEETS-SHEET 4- I fi'z'g'. 29/

, WE@ E4QU EWMXW Patented J uly 24, 1917.

E. SCHNEIDER.

-MEANS OF ASSEMBLING THE ELEMENTS OF A SECTIONAL GUN BARREL. I. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11. 1916- I 1,234,575, Patented July 24,1917.

TSHEETSSHEET'5.

I Fig.3. r 3.

I E. SCHNEIDER. MEANS OF ASSEMBLENG THE ELEMENTS 0 ASECTIONAL sum BARREL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. H. 1916- 1,234,575. I Patented July 24, 1917:.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

if I s 0 A1 2 f 4 a a} 3 v a? a; 4/ d dLq/A W/ I 1 y W QALXQ/ JWS APPLICATION FILED FEB. H| l9l6- I 1 SCHNEIDER. MEANS OF A SSEMBLING THE ELEMENTS OF A SECTIONAL GUN BARREL.

Patented July 24, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' Essen scnnnrbnn, or Ln cnrinzor, FRANCE Specification of-Letters Patent.

MEANS OF'ASSEMBLING THE EIiEMEN'rs or A sEoTIoNAL GUN BARREL,

Patented July 24, 1917.

Application filed February 11, 1916. Serial No; 77,714,

To all whom it may ooncm:

Be it known that I, EUGI NE SCHNEIDER, a

citizen of the Republic of France, residing. at Le Creuzot, France, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in or Relating to Means of Assembling: the Elements of Sec-V tional Gun-Barrels, which? is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved and extremely simple means of assembling. and disassembling the elements ofa sectional gun barrel comprising a gun tube and a breech piece, with and from each other, and a third element,-

namely, a slide thatc'arriesthe gun barrel.

The improved means allows by a simple angular displacement of one of the elements, of effecting the" simultaneous assemblage of the two elements constituting the gun bar- .rel with eachother and with the third elevment, viz., the slide; The disassemblageof the two elements of the gun barrel from each other and from the third element, viz., the

slide, is effected by merely reversing the direction of the assembling angular movement.

The manner inwhich the invention is to be performed will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings in which 1+- so 1 Figures 1 and 1 are a longitudinal section partly in side elevation of a constructional example showing the elements of the gun barrel assembled with each other and with the third element, viz., the slide.

'Figs. 2 and 2 are a side elevation partly in longitudinal section of one of the elements*(the'gun tube) of the gun barrel separate from the other element (the breech piece) of the gun" barrel, and without the slide t Fig.1 3 is a side section'of the breech piece shown separately,

withthe internal screw threaded sleeve (and the peculiar assembling meansof the invention.

,Figs. tandt area -vside elevation of theslide, part of the front slde Wall being,

broken awayto show the internal parts.

Fig. 5 is a crosssection on the line V V of Fig. 1."

Fig. 6-is a cross section on the line of Fig. 4

' -Fig.- 7 is a rear endelevationfof the slide, the elements of the gun barrel being shown in section in the upperipart ofthe figure.

elevation partly in vertical 8 is a detail drawn to alargerscale, 7

As? showmthe gun barrel is composedof two main elements, namely, the gun tube AA shown separately in. Figs. 2 and; 2 and the breech piece 'BB F'ig."3).1 The section on the line VIII-VIII of Fig.13.

two parts A and A are connected .perma nently and they constitutetogether the gun tube. Similarlythetwo parts 13 and B are connected permanently and constitute the breech plece whlch according to the inven t10n does not become separated from the as sembl ing screw sleeve C (Fig. 3) a D s "the slide that constitutesthe third element to be assembled; For transport the three elements, namely,the gun tube, thev breech piece with the assembling screw sleeve, and the slide have to be disassembled? jecting from its underside a tenon a which engagesina similarly shaped recess (Pin the slide D. Bearing surfaces J are providedon the slide for supporting the forepart A? of thejgun tube sleeve A Aspring bolt E provided on theslide adaptedto lock the guntube AVA in"the requisite posi tion for assemblage byengaging in a socket a inthe tenon a y Two'pairs of rollers 6+6, 6 -17 arranged, to rollion the same rolling tracks cl 'rl on the slide, are carried respectivly by the parts B and B of the breech pieceJf The theendsofarms b (Fig.

Forthe purpose of assembling the three elements AA BB and D, these elements are formed in the l usual manner each rollers b are mounted on jouriials formed at Y with longitudinal rows of teeth arranged in the form of toothed sectors on the cylindri cal surfaces of the lelementsfthese ,rowsof teeth being separated'from oneanother'by ,plainrows ofthe same width Thusthe gun tube sleeve is formed with longitudinal loo plain intermediate rows of external teeth a the assembling sleeve 0 forming part of the breech piece BB is formed with longitudinal rows of, internal teeth a and with longitudinal rows of external-teeth 0;- and-the slide D is formed To the spaces 6% between the teeth ofthe 1 rows d there correspond external teeth" 0 formed on the assembling screw sleeve 0' which, as already stated, is carried perma nently by the breech piece B-B on which it screws by means of a rearward screw thread C The rows of teeth 0 of this sleeve arearranged so as toalternate with ongltudinal portlons '0 q of the same width inner surface with a number of longitudi- .nal rows of teeth 0 alternating with plain intermediate longitudinal portions 0 of the 7 same width (Fig. '3). The teeth 0'1 are designed to engage teeth a? arranged in lon-, gitudinal rows on the tube A which are likewise separated from one another 7 by plain intermediate longitudinal portions or of the same width.

The mechanism for effecting simultaneous engagement between the element CB'B and the element AA on the one hand, and between? the entity CBB A-A andthe slide D on the other hand, comprises, simply a transverse rack F which is composed of helical teeth fixed or formed on" the assembling screw sleeve C, and is adapted to be turned through an angle corre-- sponding to the width of the toothed and plain longitudinal rows, by means of a worm Gr journaled in a bearing H formed or'mou'nted on the breech piece BB This angular rotation which is executed in one or the other. direction for the purpose of effecting engagement or disengagement, is limited in both directions by a stop A? (Fig. '1) whichprojects fromithe tube A abutting against the sidesfof. a recess C formed in the forward face of'the assembling sleeve C.

. Normally the rack F remains engaged in r a position corresponding to the position which is to be occupied by, the common assembling sleeve 0, that is to say com pletely screwed up, or completely runscrewed. For this purpose the operating wormG is formed with a recess 9 of square sectionfadapted to receive thesquare part i. of the spindle or crank shaft I which-is provided with the operating lever K (Figf 8). A" spring 9 has a constant tendency" to keep the spindleI in the-position shown in Fig. 8, in which position a key I carried by said spindle engages a part H of the recess in the bracket H which is formed with a stop 7L The spindle I has thus only a very limited possibility of movement.

When it is desired to rotatethe spindle I for the purpose of screwing up or unscrewing the sleeve C, the spindle must .be pushed 4 com- By rolling the tube AA into position .i

on the slide D, the tenon a becomes automatically caught by the spring bolt E. I Then the breech piece BB with the .i

assembling sleeve C carried by it, which is v locked'in the unscrewed position, is rolled into position, the breech end B engaging by meansof an annular shoulder b (Fig.

1 in an annular groove in the tube end face. At thesame time external nibs a I Q on the tube-.A engage in corresponding in- The assembling sleeve C 'is formed on its ternal recesses 72* in the breech piece B. The internal teeth 0 of the sleeve C are at 3 this. moment engaged in the plain'external longitudinalportions of the tubeA while the external teeth 0 of the :said sleeve are engaged in the plain longitudinal portions:

of the slide-D. To assemble the elements, it push the spindle I right in by means of its is sufficient to operating lever, and then to rotate it-until a resistance is'felt due to the tenon A? butting against-the side of the recess C 5 The spindle I on being let'go, will'-'return into the position shown in Fig. 8.

The spindle Ihas merely'to be rotated in the reverse direction in order to disassemble the elements. I

The sleeve C grips the breech piece B and the'tube'A owing to the difference between the pitches of the screw threads a on; the

tube A and the screw threads C -of the sleeve C. .These parts are jointed together by means of a packing ring'J fixed on the breech piece B, the forward face of the-said ring being made to fit'a'gainst the corre-' sponding face of the-tube A Thejoint ing is adjusted so that those surfaces' ofthescrew threads 0 and a thatareat right anglesto the axis of. the gun barrel on the one hand, and those of thescrewfthreads C of the assembling sleeve 0 and the breech piece B'on the other hand, shallbe in contact Wltll one another. yItis necessary that' all play shall beavoided, in order that when the gun .is fired no violent impact shall take place betweenthe said'su'rfaces by the recoil of the elementsB and O due I I claim as new anddesire to secure by Let Having now described my invention What ters Patent is 1. In combination, a breech piece and gun tube separable therefrom, a slide for supporting said breech piece and tube, an assembling sleeve having threaded engagement With said breech piece and provided With external and internal interrupted threads, said tube and slide each being provided with interrupted threadspermitting bayonet engagement of the sleeve, tube and slide, and sleeve-operating means mounted on the sleeve and breech piece adapted to rotate the sleeve into and out of assembling position.

2. In combination, a breech piece and gun tube separable therefrom, a slide for supporting said breech piece and tube, an assembling sleeve having threaded engage ment With said breech piece and provided With external and internal interrupted threads, said tube and slide each being pros vided With. interrupted threads permitting bayonet engagement of the sleeve, tube and slide, and sleeve-operating means carried by the sleeve and breech piece comprising a rack, a Worm gear engaging the rack, and a crank shaft yieldingly held in locked position'against rotation and designed to rotate said gear.

3. In combination, a breech piece and gun tube separable'therefrom, a slide for supporting said breech piece and tube, an assembling sleeve having threaded engage ment with said breech piece and provided With external and internal interrupted threads, said tube andslide each being provided With interrupted threads permitting bayonet engagement of the sleeve, tube and slide, and sleeve-operating means carried by the sleeve and breech piece comprising a rack, a worm gear engaging the rack, a

I crank shaft yieldingly held in locked position against rotation and designed to rotate said gear, and spring-pressed means in the path of the gun tube for locking the tube against longitudinal movement in one direction.

4. In combination, a breech piece and gun tube separable therefrom, a slide for supporting said breech piece and tube, an assembling sleeve having threaded engagement With said breech piece and provided With external and internal interrupted threads, said tube and slide each being provided with interrupted threads permitting bayonet engagement of the sleeve, tube and slide, sleeve-operating means mounted on the sleeve and breech piece adapted to rotate the sleeve into and out of assembling position, and spring-pressed means in the path of the gun tubefor locking the tube against longitudinal movement in one direction.

5. In combination, a breech piece, a gun tube, a removable jointing ring intermediate the tube and breech, a slide supporting said tube and breech, an assembling sleeve having threaded engagement With said breech piece and provided With external and internal interrupted threads, said tube and slide each being provided with interrupted threads permitting bayonet engagement of the sleeve, tube and slide, the threads on the tube differing in pitch from those on the breech, and means mounted on the sleeve and breech adapted to rotate the sleeve on EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses:

CHAs. P. PBESSLY, EMILE BERTRAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained tor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

